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The Forsen Imperial Family
The history of the Imperial family has been spotty, to say the least. Aside from the Castellus I and the current Raina IV, the line of Forsentinian emperor's and empresses have usually been remembered by at least one synonym of 'crazy'. Castellus II the Mad, Castellus III the Paranoid, Radomir I the Bloodthirsty, Andon the Unbalanced, Raina I the Barmy, Raina II the Idiotic, Radomir II the Crazed, Aluette the Unhinged, Raina III the Touched, Galleus I the Moonstruck, and Lyudmil the Maniacal- all of their reigns were marked by a distinct and often terrifying brand of insanity, making rules and declarations that made little to no sense, engaging in hobbies and behaviors that were destructive, self-destructive, or just downright frightening. Well, to the high ranking sorts. The Imperial family's support does not come from the noble and lesser royal houses- none of them have been trusted, merely tolerated for their ability to lead and direct. The support for the Forsentine family comes from the people. Despite racial and religious tensions, despite hatred between the populations of vassal-states that have lingered for centuries, despite the (usually accidental) casualties inflicted on the civilian populace by their own mad lords, the people love the Forsentine family. The nobles squabble amongst themselves and plot against the Emperors and Empresses, the wealthy look to curry favor and power and dominate the lower classes, and the clergy is regularly set against itself as Heretics try to infiltrate and subvert them. But for all their insanities, the Imperial family is reliable. The Forsentines protect their people, and even if those people hate each other, the Forsentines love them all, work to keep them safe, and give them opportunities to have something that at least resembles a life. Sure, there's the prevailing belief that the entire family line has been cursed by half the Heavens and Hells to breed increasingly dangerous psychotics, but they're the people's increasingly dangerous psychotics. Of course, that does not mean the Imperial family is filled with benevolent psychopaths. There are just as many if not more dangerous, deranged monsters than there are eccentric, erstwhile guardians. The previous Emperor, Lyudmil the Maniacal, was violently deposed by his own daughter- Raina IV- and executed for crimes against all races, crimes against nature, against the Gods, and against the universe. While no one is entirely certain what those crimes are in specific- the information is still mostly classified- what little has been leaked suggests that Lyudmil was developing some sort of orrery composed of ancient magitech so that he could consume one of the Elder Corruptions. Or it might have been his decade-long eugenics projects, trying to exploit family lines and breed new superbeings from the 'common' mortals. Or it might have been the giant cannon he had built in the state of Katenby, which was to use live ammunition (literally, the shells were to be made of people) and indecipherable alien technologies to shoot and kill Gods. Could have been all of these, or dozens of other projects that Raina's insurrection put to a very permanent stop. Shortly after this coup, Raina put most of her siblings, cousins, and other extended family to death as well- the only surviving members aside from herself are her third cousin Vellarius, half-sister Joyce, nephew Rando, and uncle Herbert. These are all that remain of the Imperial family, and those four outside of Raina only because they have sworn fealty and proven to be at least mostly sane. Raina IV is a very tough matriarch. She is so far removed from her predecessors and most of her kin that some wonder if she's even a real Forsentine; several nobles have attempted to discredit her by accusing her of being adopted or illegitimate. Those nobles are now dead and buried in shallow, unmarked graves. Her Imperial Majesty does not tolerate the slightest grievance from the ruling classes- she demands and expects results when she hands down orders, and if those orders cannot or will not be followed, then replacements will be appointed and given a chance to succeed where their predecessors failed. The only people who have not been shown her wrath are the commoners and artisans, the people who support the empire and make all the machines run. To them she is personable and kind, but she is lacking in the trademark eccentricity of her forebears- she shows interest in new developments and occasionally even gets her own hands dirty at workshops and laboratories, but she keeps her wits about her at all times, and never loses herself in the glory and grandeur of invention and creation. This makes her one of the most feared tyrants to ever rule the empire- she's so.. Sane and sharp and on the ball, nobody's certain what she'll do next. Because of this, Her Imperial Majesty has very few friends. The people respect her, but they are wary of her- she's just not crazy enough. Even passing the Common Sense Laws, long considered a crazy idea, hasn't given her much reputation for eccentricity. Those closest to her are her family, who fear that she may have them killed at a moment's notice as well. Most of the people she knew in her childhood have either passed of old age or died in the fight for survival. The 309th Regiment that helped her take power is fanatically devoted to her, but zealous devotion does not equal friendship. It has been rumored that the closest thing Her Imperial Majesty has to any real friends are rulers of other nations that she is able to meet on political missions to Paradise City. She has been said to have become quite close to the Hydra Empress of Ryengo, Kiyoko Xing (how close is a subject of many sordid barroom tales and the occasional stand-up comedic act), is believed to have found a reliable confidante and ally in Mr. Cartwright, and is on good enough personal terms with Fahad al-Hadi that the war between the Emirates and the Forsen Empire might finally come to an official close instead of just an uneasy ceasefire. If she has any friendships or alliances outside of these, then she keeps them remarkably well hidden. The Forsentine Empire Back to Main Page